TOIL Synonyms: 143 Similar and Opposite Words

Q: How does the noun 'toil' contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of toil are drudgery , grind , labor , travail , and work . While all these words mean "activity involving effort or exertion," toil implies prolonged and fatiguing labor. // his lot would be years of back-breaking toil

Q: When would 'drudgery' be a good substitute for 'toil'?

Although the words drudgery and toil have much in common, drudgery suggests dull and irksome labor. // an editorial job with a good deal of drudgery

Q: When might 'grind' be a better fit than 'toil'?

The words grind and toil can be used in similar contexts, but grind implies labor exhausting to mind or body. // the grind of the assembly line

Q: Where would 'labor' be a reasonable alternative to 'toil'?

The words labor and toil are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, labor applies to physical or intellectual work involving great and often strenuous exertion. // farmers demanding fair compensation for their labor

Q: When could 'travail' be used to replace 'toil'?

While the synonyms travail and toil are close in meaning, travail is bookish for labor involving pain or suffering. // years of travail were lost when the house burned

Q: When is it sensible to use 'work' instead of 'toil'?

The meanings of work and toil largely overlap; however, work may imply activity of body, of mind, of a machine, or of a natural force. // too tired to do any work

toil 1 of 3

noun (1)

ˈtȯi(-ə)l

Definition of toil

as in labor

very hard or unpleasant work after years of toil in a sweatshop, Kim was finally able to start her own dressmaking business

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Antonyms & Near Antonyms

toil

2 of 3

noun (2)

as in tangle

usually toils plural something that catches and holds a married woman hopelessly caught in the toils of an extramarital affair

Synonyms & Similar Words

toil

3 of 3

verb

as in to labor

to devote serious and sustained effort toiled for many years on the mammoth outdoor sculpture

Synonyms & Similar Words

Antonyms & Near Antonyms

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How does the noun toil contrast with its synonyms?

Some common synonyms of toil are drudgery, grind, labor, travail, and work. While all these words mean "activity involving effort or exertion," toil implies prolonged and fatiguing labor.

his lot would be years of back-breaking toil

When would drudgery be a good substitute for toil?

Although the words drudgery and toil have much in common, drudgery suggests dull and irksome labor.

an editorial job with a good deal of drudgery

When might grind be a better fit than toil?

The words grind and toil can be used in similar contexts, but grind implies labor exhausting to mind or body.

the grind of the assembly line

Where would labor be a reasonable alternative to toil?

The words labor and toil are synonyms, but do differ in nuance. Specifically, labor applies to physical or intellectual work involving great and often strenuous exertion.

farmers demanding fair compensation for their labor

When could travail be used to replace toil?

While the synonyms travail and toil are close in meaning, travail is bookish for labor involving pain or suffering.

years of travail were lost when the house burned

When is it sensible to use work instead of toil?

The meanings of work and toil largely overlap; however, work may imply activity of body, of mind, of a machine, or of a natural force.

too tired to do any work

Example Sentences

Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

Recent Examples of toil

Noun

The poem is about how our most worthwhile pursuits—things like art, love, and beauty—often seem to demand a measure of toil. — Katy Waldman, New Yorker, 19 Aug. 2026 With debts racking up, Ina loses the family’s bus company, forcing her to shift between jobs, from construction to becoming a bar entertainer, therefore forging an identity through toil. — Lé Baltar, IndieWire, 13 Aug. 2026

Verb

While Vonnegut toiled in a malt syrup factory, several other prisoners were assigned to labor details clearing out the rubble left behind from the bombings. — Literary Hub, 31 Aug. 2026 To watch someone toiling away in the service of something great is not, in the end, so very different from watching someone toiling away in the service of something terrible. — Becca Rothfeld, New Yorker, 29 Aug. 2026 See All Example Sentences for toil

Recent Examples of Synonyms for toil

Noun

So regenerative has to regenerate livelihoods and communities too, including decent work and supporting the women who do much of the labor in cotton in many contexts.

— SJ Studio, Footwear News, 13 Oct. 2026
This comes as the league prepares for a labor fight in which financial inequality is a central top of debate.

— Scott Soshnick, Sportico.com, 13 Oct. 2026

Definition of labor

Noun

The ejection of water molecules favors the interaction, supporting the alignment needed for the messy tangle to grow.

— Mike McRae October 13, New Atlas, 14 Oct. 2026
This tangle of contradictions had served in the Army for over four decades, spending several years as Army Chief of Staff.

— Literary Hub, Literary Hub, 8 Oct. 2026

Definition of tangle

Verb

Specifically, Nico Iamaleava struggled, fumbling once and throwing interceptions to Oregon’s Koi Perich and Jerry Mixon.

— Elias Esquivel, Los Angeles Times, 11 Oct. 2026
Moon, meanwhile, is struggling at school but on the precipice of adulthood; as the young woman begins to make her own decisions in life, Yue must relinquish a degree of maternal responsibility.

— Guy Lodge, Variety, 11 Oct. 2026

Definition of struggle

Noun

The discovery is a huge victory for conservation efforts across the Indian Ocean.

— Mrigakshi Dixit, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2026
In yet another battle between the states and social media platforms, Florida asked a state judge to order changes on Instagram and Facebook in an effort to protect young users.

— Arkansas Online, Arkansas Online, 10 Oct. 2026

Definition of effort

Verb

Local government and outside groups have long strived to ban the popular tourist attraction that critics argue is harmful to horses’ well-being.

— Claire Carter, The Washington Examiner, 14 Oct. 2026
Stores plan to be thriving Hispanic community hubs Amor Collective will strive to be an event space beyond just meetings and workshops.

— Terry Tang, Los Angeles Times, 12 Oct. 2026

Definition of strive

Noun

Printed electrodes speed stabilization The sensor measures changes in electrical voltage associated with sodium and potassium ions in sweat.

— Neetika Walter, Interesting Engineering, 10 Oct. 2026
Being in a state of desire produces physical reactions that are difficult to manufacture — sweat, blood rushing, dilated pupils — while offering up the human impulses behind the work, like what excites a designer and what they’re drawn to.

— Amy Francombe, Vogue, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of sweat

Noun

The best way Ray can think of to do so is to tail her shady husband, Dom (Bobby Cannavale) — all the way into a sordid (but still vaguely family-friendly) web of deceit, murder, blackmail and gangland drama.

— Angie Han, HollywoodReporter, 10 Oct. 2026
Even something as simple as installing the progressive web app version of Slack isn’t working properly.

— Antonio G. Di Benedetto, The Verge, 9 Oct. 2026

Definition of web

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to hand

toil

toiled

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“Toil.” Merriam-Webster.com Thesaurus, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/thesaurus/toil. Accessed 16 Oct. 2026.

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Synonyms of toil

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noun (2)

verb

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